Canadian Sport School Victoria Celebrates 2016 Graduating Class
Canadian Sport Institute Pacific – VICTORIA, B.C. – The Canadian Sport Institute Pacific (CSI Pacific) is proud to recognize the Canadian Sport School (CSS) graduating class of 2016, including eleven student-athletes who will be pursuing their post-secondary education next fall. The Canadian Sport School is a CSI Pacific initiative.
The 2015-16 school year saw CSS bring in the most competitive cohort to date including 21 Provincial Team members and nine athletes who have represented Canada on an international stage. The CSS also welcomed its first Paralympic hopeful, Melissa Pemble, an alpine skier and cyclist, who was recently named to the Canadian Para-Alpine Ski Development Team. Of the 13 student-athletes graduating from the CSS in 2016, six of them spent the full three years with the program.
“This has been our most successful graduating class to date and we are really proud of all of our student-athletes as they go on to pursue high performance in their chosen sport pathways,” said Canadian Sport School Coach Jennifer Joyce. “We look forward to watching them pursue excellence and win future medals for Canada.”
Graduates from CSS in 2016 include Caroline Crossley and Brendan Hoff, both who will be attending the University of Victoria this fall.
Crossley was recognized by Rugby Canada as the Women’s Young Player of the Year Award for her hard work, training and determination. She has represented Canada’s Maple Leafs in Amsterdam and Hong Kong and in December was rewarded with her first HSBC Women’s Sevens Series cap at the Dubai Sevens.
Hoff has competed nationally and internationally in athletics, including earning 14th place in the 1500m event at the 2015 IAAF World Youth Championships in Cali, Colombia. Recently crowned BC High School champion in the 1500 and 3000m, this past weekend Hoff also achieved his qualifying standard for the IAAF World Junior Championships this summer in Bydgoszcz, Poland and will join the Victoria Vikes’ Track & Field/Cross-County team in September.
A water polo player from Saanich Water Polo School, Gabrielle Fitaire is the lone member of the graduating class who will be competing for a professional sport organization next year. Fitaire will spend the 2016-17 season with Union Saint-Bruno Bordeaux in the Pro A League in France.
This year’s graduates, with their sport and declared school, if applicable, are: Benton Boychuk-Chorney (Curling / University of Alberta); Caroline Crossley (Rugby / University of Victoria); Kaelyn Dexter (Lacrosse / Camosun College), Gabrielle Fitaire (Water Polo / Union Saint-Bruno Bordeaux); Brendan Hoff (Athletics / University of Victoria); Gavin Kratz (Rugby / University of Victoria); Mara McCleary (Soccer / University of Northern British Columbia); Max McCulloch (Cycling – Mountain Bike / University of Victoria); Emily Moore (Soccer / University of British Columbia); Anika Shelrud (Soccer / University of Northern Colorado); Holly Simonson (Cycling – Track/Road); Bryce Krakowec Tickner (Golf / Otero College); John Willcox (Cycling – Track/Road).
Three CSS alumni will also be moving on to post-secondary athletics. Among them is squash player Matt Henderson, who will be attending the University of Western Ontario after graduating from St. Andrews last June and taking a gap year. The 2015 CSS graduate was named in May to Canada’s world junior men’s team that will compete at the WSF World Junior Squash Championships being held in Bielsko-Biała, Poland this summer.
The three CSS alumni now moving onto post-secondary studies this fall are: Camille Irvine (Rugby / Queen’s University); Kobe Morris (Baseball / Crowder College); Matt Henderson (Squash / University of Western Ontario).
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About Canadian Sport Institute Pacific
The Canadian Sport Institute Pacific (www.csipacific.ca) is a world class Olympic and Paralympic training environment. Through the support of our national and provincial partners, our team of sport scientists and medical experts provide programs and services to athletes and coaches to ensure they have every advantage to win medals for Canada.
About Canadian Sport School Victoria
The Canadian Sport School Victoria (www.thecanadiansportschool.com) is an important initiative of the Canadian Sport Institute, School District 62, PISE, ViaSport and the Province of British Columbia. The Canadian Sport School helps to alleviate the pressures experienced by high performance secondary school athletes and ensure that our future Olympians, Paralympians and National Team members have all the skills and resources needed to continue to progress as high performance athletes, while excelling both on the playing field and in the classroom. Delivered in partnership with the PacificSport Centres, there are two more campuses located in Kelowna and Prince George.
For more information, please contact:
Noah Wheelock
Manager, Communications
Canadian Sport Institute Pacific
250.220.2534
Lance Doucet
Coordinator, Communications
Canadian Sport Institute Pacific
250.220.2521
Jenn Joyce
Lead Coach
Canadian Sport School Victoria